Life Changing
by Pumpkin-Scrubs
Summary: Lots of time has passed, hurt and bereavement turn to fondness and memory. But when somebody Frank and Stella thought was long since dead returns to their lives, how will they cope with the shock and the new challenges faced. All mistakes are my own. Few very, very mild swear words. REVIEWS APPRECIATED
1. Shock

**Author's Note: I've adopted this story from the lovely J.4.5.M.1.N.3, so I'll be continuing it, the first five chapters are a mixture of her original writing and my tweaks, but from then on it's my writing. Whilst this fandom may be pretty much dead, I'm still high key a fan and feel waves of nostalgia as I write this. ANYWAY, here's the first chapter.**

Unknown POV:  
Everyone was shocked I managed to survive; actually shocked was an understatement. They even allowed me to be reinstated. I was ecstatic; I owed my life to them and I would do whatever I could to protect the country. Everyone was crying and were overwhelmed when they saw me walk through HQ. I was still me, just older and more mature. I had grown a little and my brown-blonde hair had grown out to my waist. I tied it up in a neat ponytail when I had received my old uniform after the Head had stopped crying when she found out I was still alive. We used to train together, me and her, with Stella as well, and we were all best friends. I can imagine Stella and Charlene, the Head, crying over me every day after the… No! I'm not going to think about it! The main thing is I escaped and I'm here now. I can't wait to see Frank and Stella, I hope they are still together; they were so cute!

Charlene had shown me the location as to where the new M.I High base was. I still remember my first mission with Frank, Stella and Charlene, my M.I High teammates. KORPS had just got themselves a new Crime Minister and we were to stop him getting the job. We succeeded of course, but as KORPS are, they forgot about him and got themselves a new one, a female. That little troll, trying to get me to join KORPS. I would never betray M.I.9.

My palms were sweaty as I drove off to a school called St Hearts, where the first M.I High project started. Charlene had told me how to get into HQ which was located under the school somewhere. She had gotten someone to reprogram the lift so that my fingerprint would be recognized and I had to pull the broom then I would shoot down the HQ like old times.

As I got out of my car, I saw school children racing into the school building; I presumed the first period was going to start. I walked slowly through the building, trying to find the janitors cupboard. Aha! I found it! It took a while; this place is huge! I was about to slide the light switch/thumbprint scanner, but I hesitated and a million questions came flooding through my head, will they know who I am? If they don't, how can I prove myself to them? Will they hate me? Or will they just start yelling?

I started to walk back to the entrance, but I couldn't bare to not see them again, after a whole 10 years! No! I'm going to see them! I don't care how they react! They are my best friends and nothing is going to stop me from seeing them, especially my sub-conscience. I turned back to the door and slid open the light switch/ thumbprint scanner and scanned my thumb. My palms were so sweaty now that I couldn't open the door! I wiped my hands onto the black spy uniform Char gave to me and turned the door handle. My legs were shaking as I walked into the confined space. I looked to my right to see a broom handle. I took a deep breath and pulled it. A green arrow flashed rapidly on a paint bucket and I zoomed down to HQ.

When the lift doors opened, I stopped dead. They were there with four teenagers. My eyes were as big as saucers and when they noticed me they just stopped and stared. The teenagers looked confused but Frank and Stella just froze. It's then I started to shake violently. Shock was an understatement, they looked exactly the same except that Frank's hair had grown longer and Stella had tied her hair up.

My eyes started to tear up and I just let them flow down my face. Frank and Stella started to do the same. Stel had a mixture of happiness, relief, shock, and worry planted on her face whereas Frank was confused and started to cry at my presence. I took a step out of the lift and took many deep breaths until I spoke with a wobbly voice and tears dropping to the floor.

"Frank? Stella?" They peered at me closely, tears still pouring down their faces and bodies shaking violently.

"Hyperia?"


	2. Reconciliation

**AN: the Second chapter, here we go. :)**

"Hyperia?"

I tried to control my emotions, but the tears just wouldn't stop. They knew me. They knew who I was. I tried to take a step forward, but the message wouldn't go through to my legs. Crying was a first for me; I had never cried that much unless it was necessary. Pain was immune to me, physical pain. This, however, was emotional pain; emotional pain got me every time.

I could just see through the salty tears that were crowding my eyes, that the four teenagers were looking back and forth at us. The girl with the dark skin moved them all back; somehow she knew who I was and what connection I had between Frank and Stella. It was like she's a…mind reader.

I took several deeps breaths in order to move my legs; they felt like jelly. I swear I'm going to fall any second now. Frank and Stella looked like they were about to do the same thing. I could only see from their waist and up but I could tell that their legs were shaking a lot and very violently.

After several attempts, I finally managed to walk forwards towards the roundtable, the opposite side of Frank and Stella. Stella took some deep breaths too while Frank just tried to compose himself. Stella walked towards me and her eyes started to well up again when she stopped directly in front of me.

"Are you Hyperia?" Her voice was shaky and it sounded like she was about to burst into tears again.

"Stel, it's me, Hyperia."

"You can't be her! She…" She gulped as a tear rolled down her cheek, "died." Frank walked up to her, tears still streaming down his face despite his previous efforts, and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Stel, I didn't die. Do you think I died if I'm standing here right now?" She choked on a laugh and went back to crying.

"If your really Hyperia, what is my middle name?" Tears started to slow down and her legs started tremoring less. I smiled through my wet face as I already knew the answer; she told me that she only told Frank and me her middle name, well, middle names.

"Stel, I know for sure that you don't have a middle name; you have two middle names. Are you sure you want me to say them?" By now my voice was shakier than ever and I bet that my mascara was all over my face; I swear I saw Stel smiling at that. She nodded while Frank was still shell shocked.

"Stella, Holly, Elizabeth, Knight." Her mouth dropped open, her jaw shaking while her salty tears dripped onto her bottom lip. Frank also looked at me with wide eyes; you could see his eyes welling up all over again.

"Hyperia?!"

"Yeah, that's me." I stumbled backwards as soon as she found her arms around my neck. I wrapped my arms around her waist; I was so happy to see the real Stella again. She buried her head into my shoulder and started to cry, but this time I think they were tears of joy. We stayed there for quite a long time I suppose due to fact the teenagers were looking bored but very confused at the same time.

"I can't believe it's you! I mean you…he…it…" I placed my hands firmly on her shoulders to calm her down; it was like she was having a panic attack.

"Stel, calm down. I'm alright now, that's the main thing." Frank froze completely; his eyes didn't move, his head didn't move and I think at one point his heart stopped. I looked at him, smiling while my lips trembled trying not to cry, and I hugged him tightly. I missed him so much, him, Stel and Char, I missed them all so much, much more than anyone could ever imagine.

Once Frank moved out of his trance, he hugged me back, even tighter than when I hugged him. He's like an older brother to me; much more of a brother than Alexis ever was.

I pulled back to see my two best friends standing right in front of me, and after 11 years, it was totally worth it to see them again.

One of the teenage boys coughed and one of the girls slapped him on the arm, obviously not wanting the boy to ruin the moment. I chuckled slightly at their reactions; the blonde boy had confusion written all over his face, the dark-skinned girl with black hair had sympathy on her face and she looked as if she was going to cry, the black-haired boy had realisation on his face like he knows who I am and the auburn-haired girl with pale skin looked just as confused as the blonde boy.

Stel wiped her tears away with a pocket tissue then looked at the tissue and laughed. I laughed too when I saw that all of the mascara had transferred from her eyelashes and face onto the tissue; it looked like ash from a volcano. Frank laughed through his tears and I bet he was thinking, why does anyone need that much makeup?

He wiped his tears away with his sleeve and turned to the four teenagers who were now looking bored. Frank took several deep breaths; I bet he was still not believing that I was real.

"Uh…um…team…this is Hyperia. Hyperia this is Dan," he pointed to the blonde boy and he smiled a hello, "this is Aneisha," he indicated to the dark-skinned girl who I classified as 'The Mind Reader', "Tom", I looked at the boy who had dark hair and a scrawny body; I think he was the nerd of the group, "and this is Keri." I saw the girl with the auburn coloured hair and pale skin; she looked sort of familiar. I glanced from Frank to Stella to Keri, wanting answers. I wiped my face again and said-

"Do I know you? You look really familiar!" Both Stella and Keri looked at me with confused expressions. I know that I do know her from somewhere; I just can't put my finger on it.


	3. Old Wounds

**AN: I hope you like this, it's got rather a lot of modifications from the original but the main structure is still there.**

I know that I do know her from somewhere; I just can't put my finger on it.

I'm overjoyed to see Frank, Stella, and Charlene again! Especially Stel; we went through everything together. She and I were inseparable. From giving makeovers to boy problems to kicking ass, we always had each others' backs. And then when we met Char in the M.I High project, all three of us became best of friends; we told each other everything, we went everywhere and did everything together. I sort of felt sorry for Frank; we left him out a lot because he was the only guy on our team.

I snapped back to reality when Stella gave me another massive hug. I sniffed for the one-millionth time that day as Frank and the teens formed it into a group hug; now I definitely knew this was where I belonged.

As Stella and I drove off to her flat, her left and my right hand intertwined with each other; I missed her so much. More than anyone could've ever imagined. We sat in silence as I observed the city before me; London surely was amazing. It was busy, but that was just how I had always liked it. So many terrible things had happened. But it's in the past now! I've been given a second chance; old friends, new life.

When I hopped out of her car, she gave me a smile which warmed me to my very core. It felt so good to be working with my best friends again. I put my arm around her shoulder; I was only a little taller than her so it was a good height. We walked hand in hand up to her flat; it was at the very top. She held my hand tight every step we walked up. It was an amazing feeling to know that I have my friend, the closest thing to a sister, right next to me after 10 years. 10 whole years.

She opened the door slowly to see my reaction. Her flat was a faint memory in my mind, but I remembered small details, such as she never liked to have carpet on her stairs; because she said it might 'accidentally create friction' butI think it was for the aesthetic; she always had to have nothing on the coffee table - even if it was for coffee – because when she put her feet up and there was coffee on the table, she would always knock it down; she still has her Christmas tree up because I swear she never takes it down.

Stella dragged me inside, obviously excited to show me everything and to know everything. She gestured for me to sit on the couch while she made us some coffee in the next room. I was an observant person, therefore I started to check every nook and cranny of her house with my eyes. It was rather colourful but in a tasteful way. Many paintings and posters littered the walls. Photographs were frequent too. As my eyes glazed over one picture I was instantly transported back to the moment. It was the middle of Year Nine at school and we'd just joined M.I High. Stella, Charlene and I were gossiping about the outfits, about the sleekness and how amazing we looked - At least that's what we thought at the time. Frank had just sighed and told us that their intentions were obviously not style, but practicality. Charlene had stuck her tongue out, exclaiming "We're going to take a snazzy picture anyway, spoilsport." Thus, the photo of us all clutching each other, taken by a rather reluctant Frank, was born. I think it's fair to say that's when I knew our team was going to work because it wasn't about liking everything about each other, but being able to taunt and tease whilst knowing there was a line. Thinking back on it while looking at Stella's photos, I realised each picture held so much meaning. Almost as if by taking a photo, you froze not just the precise moment but the whole event, captivating time and keeping our youth alive even as we age.

Where Stel was making coffee, I saw on the shelf above her a small, deep purple box, covered in bedazzlement of all sorts. I knew what was inside that box; it was a gift from me to her that I gave to her on her eighteenth birthday. Inside the box was a beautiful golden ring and carved into that ring was a small phrase, 'With you, I ignored the warning signs'. That held significance because I always felt that when with Stella, together we could conquer anything. From our schoolyard crushes to the evil plans of KORPS. Now that I think about it, I felt something cold against her hand when she took mine, but it might have been another ring. Frank's engagement ring perhaps? Which reminds me…

"Hey, Stel…"

"Yeah?"

"How are you and Frank going?" I heard something snap from where she was standing. I look around the see Stella leaning on a bench, head facing the wall in front of her. She was moving slowly, up and down, showing she was taking deep breaths.

"Stel?" She walked over to me with a solemn expression, her eyes shining with unshed tears. She sat down next to me on the black couch and I took her hands in mine. A single tear rolled down her cheek and then she looked away; I know she doesn't like crying in front of people.

"What's wrong?" She took a deep breath, filling her lungs up with oxygen. When she exhaled, she closed her eyes, trying to regain some control over her emotions.

"F-Frank and I… W-we…uh…b-broke up." I could not believe my ears. They were the cutest couple ever! Whenever they looked at each other, they went all lovey-dovey and every time I rolled my eyes. They were smitten in love and now they'd broken up! That can't be possible!

"What?! No! Why?!" I had wide eyes and my eyebrows furrowed slightly, but when I saw Stella's face, I immediately changed my expression and emotions to sympathetic.

"It's okay Stel, you can tell me." She hugged me so tight and buried her head into my shoulder, wetting the fabric with every salty tear. I still can't believe it; when did this happen?!

"Stella… Please tell me." She lifted her head up to see my face. But her cheeks were red and swollen, tears still running down her cheeks while I stared into her sorrowful eyes. I hated it whenever she cried; she would either never show her emotions or let them all out at once when no one was looking, but I always saw right through her, right through her stone-hard expressions, right through her make-up right through everything.

" I-it was after the KORPS assault a-and…" I held her hands and squeezed them tight to show that I was here for her; I will always be here for from now on.

"… When we thought you, y-you know, I got angry at F-Frank because he closed the b-blast doors on you and the others, so I-I-I dumped him." She broke down into tears all over again so I hugged her.

"Do you regret it?" I already knew the answer, but I needed to know if she could still trust me. After all these years, I just need a simple answer. She looked up, wiping the tears from her face.

"I regret it every second of every day of my life." She furrowed her eyebrows and looked like she was about to explode with pent-up emotions, the most dominant being frustration.

"… But those stupid protocols. He'll lose his job and I'll feel guilty for the rest of my life. Besides you, he was the closest person to me."

"Stel, it's okay…" she pulled away from my embrace, her whole energy showing that of a broken little girl.

"No! It's not okay! I've lost myself Hyperia. I used to be happy, truly happy. Protocols didn't mean rules in my mind, they meant advice. I didn't feel trapped, suffocated and alone. Now all I have is some overpriced suits, paperwork, and a stoic expression. The man I'm infatuated with probably hates me now and I'm nothing but a scapegoat for M.I.9 all the goddamn time!" Throughout her speech, her voice had risen and her face was soaked with salt water. She slumped down back onto the couch, looking down at her feet.

"Why is the world so unfair?" She whispered and I put a hand around her waist and pulled her next to me. She leant her head on my shoulder as a decade of turmoil and self-hatred came spilling out. I leant my head on hers and we spent a few minutes in silence, besides the odd sob coming from Stella. I need a way for them to get back together; I can see how miserable her life has been, first without me, and now without Frank. But how?


	4. Memories

**AN: Any mistakes are fully my own, please alert me of them. Enjoy.**

"Stel, I'm here. Please don't cry anymore." I sniffed as I shed some tears. I choked out a laugh as I wiped the tears away with my thumb.

"Stop Stel, you're making me cry now." I started to laugh and as I did, she wiped away her black tears; she really needs some water-proof mascara. I squeezed my eyes shut as I half cried-half laughed while Stella did the same. I bet that we looked like right messes right now, mascara smudged, foundation running, tragic disasters in human forms.

Once we had calmed down and forgotten what we were even crying about, there was a question that I really wanted to ask her. So she went up to her bathroom to get some make-up wipes, mascara, foundation, you know, all that jazz. I figured that after we fixed up our faces, I could ask her. After she'd gathered the required tools needed to fix the effects of time, and nowhere near enough sleep, she returned.

She dropped all of the products on her coffee table, and we grabbed something each. I ended up grabbing mascara and Stella ended up grabbing liquid concealer. She started laughing but I think it was because I attempted to put some mascara on without a mirror. And I think I got some mascara on my eyelids and eyebrows.

"Stel, answer me truthfully." She turned to a serious expression in a couple of seconds and nodded. I took a deep breath.

"Do I really have mascara on my eyebrows? And if I do, I'm going to have to get my eyebrows done! And I don't have any money!" She burst out laughing all over again and I joined her, happy to see the old Stella back instead of that Stella that I saw when I walked out of the lift.

She had finished putting on her concealer and rubbing it in and that's when I realised that she actually looked really good considering she had put it on without a mirror. Basically, I was making myself look like a fool. Getting up and dashing to her bathroom I searched all over the bench and in the cabinets against the walls for a mirror, and that's when I saw it: a picture floated to the floor gently. In that picture was Frank, Stel and I at a party, Charlene's 21st to be exact. Frank was wearing a suit and tie, Stella was wearing a black cocktail dress, as was I, except that mine was white. Let me tell you, that night had been an absolute riot. It was supposedly going to be a nice, fancy dinner. Which in all fairness it was, to begin with. Then one of us fools, I can't remember who (I tell a lie, it was me) suggested we go to a bar for a drink after our meal. Everything was all well and good until a drink turned into four, which turned to seven, which turned to nine and so on and so forth till we were all so intoxicated that was almost broke into a building without even realising it. In short, let's just say those flats were slightly posher than ours and if Frank hadn't noticed, then we could have ended up in a police station. The memory made me giggle, but the thought of the hangover did not. Just to make matters worse, we had intense training the next day. I walked back downstairs, the photo warming my heart. Yet it made me feel sad too, I sat down, removing my previous makeup attempt whilst I tried to think of the positive.

"Seriously Hyperia, something's wrong." I stayed silent and continued to apply my mascara properly. I could see Stella looking at me, looking sorrowful.

"Hyperia, you can tell me. I'm your best friend." I looked away, not wanting her to see me cry again because of a silly photo. Thank the Lord Stella owns water-proof mascara. She stood up from the couch and sat down beside me, taking my hands in her own. I turned my head back to her slowly. I need to tell her because everyone that knows Stel, no matter how long, knows that she doesn't give up until she gets what she wants. I gave in.

"When I went to get a mirror from your bathroom, a picture floated to the floor when I opened the cabinet. The picture…" I took a deep breath, fighting to hold back the tears once again, "was of Frank, you and I at Char's 21st.." She hugged me tight; it was hard on the both of us to remember that memory. It was the last party we all went to together and it just reminded me of how much our youth was robbed from us. From age 14 we'd been working for an intelligence agency, trained in constant vigilance, taught never to trust anyone and forced to hold the weight of national security on our shoulders. The M.I HIgh programme was brilliant and it's success rate astounding, yet there were some drawbacks. The main one being robbing teenagers of their innocence, taking away their time for the natural progression into adulthood, pushing all adolescence, freedom, and chances to rebel the ways of society to the back of these children's minds.

"Hey Hyper, it's okay." Hyper. She hadn't called me that in a long time. No one has even called me that in a long time. She always used to call me that, her, Frank and Char, because I couldn't say my name properly when I was learning how to talk. Now that just struck a chord in my heart and a tear rolled down my cheek, landing on Stella.

"Thanks Stel. You're the best." She pulled out and smiled at me.

"I know." We both laughed; Stel always had a great sense of humour, but the tension that I sensed in HQ was dark. Fooled by the cheery smiles, there was an atmosphere, bleak energy, not as evil as KORPS, but not as nice as now. A lot of things have changed over the years. I see her eying me out of the corner of my vision. She wants to know. She wants to know what happened the last 10 years.

"Alright Stel, I give in. I'll tell you, but I will, and I mean I will cry." She took a deep breath and took my hands once again. I grasped them tight and also took a deep breath, a shaky breath.

"It all started with the KORPS assault…"


	5. Explanation

"When we broke into the building, all we saw were KORPS agents. Frank went off to the control room to see if he could trap the Crime Minister and the Mastermind while everyone else followed me into the main bunker. When I saw that missile, I froze for a second; I had never experienced something like that in my life. I snapped out of my thoughts and told everyone else to find the Crime Minister and the Mastermind so we could take them in and arrest them. I heard a voice counting down a countdown, that's when I decided to check where the missile was launching just in case Frank could stop it. I couldn't get that missile out of my head; it freaked me out so much. "

"When Frank said he could contain the explosion, I was slightly relieved but anxious because it sounded like he hadn't finished talking. And that's when it hit me, hard: he said that the missile would explode in the building. I think he started apologizing but my eyes widened in horror and I was in shock. "

"I heard your voice come over my earpiece and I thought that you had a plan; your voice raised my hopes. But when I heard you say 'incinerated', I almost stumbled backward; I wasn't ready to die. I knew I had to the facts, but when I thought about it more, my head started swirling around. That's when I told Frank that it was his choice, his choice whether to incinerate his team or blow up half of Europe,"

"We'd been trained to do things for the greater good, but I could sense that Frank was hesitating. He took a breath and said something about doing it for the millions of people. I bit my lip but stayed strong, knowing it would be completely unprofessional to break down right there and then. Then a heard a click; I knew that he had pushed the Blast Doors shut."

"The light faded from above me as I saw the hatch closing. I took a deep, shaky breath and looked at the missile next to me for the last time. I looked up, knowing Frank could see me via the cameras. Standing proudly at attention, I saluted him and managed to keep my composure hearing you screaming over my earpiece."

"But as I heard the countdown reach one, I felt an arm grab and pull me away into some sort of hatch. The hand had a tight grip, refusing to let go. And as I climbed down the hatch, I saw a flash of black and red below me. I knew it couldn't be, but as soon as I saw that the black and red was connected to the arm that had grabbed me, I started to second guess myself. It couldn't really be, could it?

As soon as the hatch closed, I heard a big explosion and the walls around me shook, but the hand wouldn't let go of me. And when I reached the bottom, the floor shook below me, and everything was pitch black. The hand kept pulling me forward, well at least I thought it was forward. I coughed loudly, sensing that the smoke from the missile had reached us. A bit the roof came crashing down on us, but that didn't stop the hand from dragging me along."

"All of a sudden, I stopped. The hand let go of my arm and I could feel the blood flowing through it again. I was standing there, alone, in the pitch black atmosphere. That was until something pushed me down and I saw a glint of light. The light shone on the side of a face. From what I could see, the face was dark, and I don't mean because I couldn't see anything, I mean evil beyond imagining. The glint in that person's eye was cold. The eye was piercing at me like it was trying to create a hole in my cranium. I shivered slightly knowing that that face could only belong to one person."

"Hello, Von Hades." Her voice was cold. More light shone throughout the atmosphere and I saw a figure. I was sure that she could have only been one person.

"Crime Minister, it's never a pleasure." I spat at her but she just seemed amused.

"You know, a thank you for saving your life might have been nice, but we both know that I don't care." She smirked at me, seeming to enjoy this little conversation that we had.

"Why did you do it? Why did you save my life?" It was ironic; the Crime Minister had actually saved my life.

"Because it's now time to bring out your criminal potential." I knew exactly what she was thinking when she said that."

"No. I will never betray M.I.9!" I said as sternly as I could, but she just laughed in my face, coldly. Her laugh became a twisted smile, a smile no one could forget.

"You can, and you will."

"What if I refuse?" She put her finger to her chin and tapped it, pretending to think.

"Oh now let me think… Well, I suppose there really is only one penalty: Death." I shivered, knowing she wasn't bluffing.

"You will work for us. You will become a KORPS agent and take down M.I.9 with us. They think that we're dead, but they have no idea what we've got up our sleeves." The light lit up the whole room and what I saw astounded me. I saw a large room that was covered with beige. Everything was beige. There was a large screen on my left and what I saw front on wasn't a big surprise. It was The Mastermind.

"I knew that if I joined them, I could still live and try to escape from the horrible place, but then again, the Crime Minister is not an easy woman to get past. I decided what was best for me."

"I…will join you." I tried to sound brave but some of the words came out shaky.

"Excellent! You won't regret your decision." Oh, how wrong she was.

"It felt like years since I've joined KORPS, but I knew it had only been a couple of days. The Crime Minister implanted a tracking device into me, and there was no way I could've escaped, until one day, I heard them talking about the vessel."

"The Crime Minister and The Mastermind were talking about how weak the Mastermind would get over the years. They said after eleven years, his mind would degrade and he would die. I overheard their plan to make all of these clones until there is one perfect, and that clone will become the Mastermind. I heard them talking about swapping their bodies so the clone's mind will be nothing more than a memory that would fade away into nothing."

"They said that the clones would become human forms so it didn't cause any suspicion. Any failed clone they created, they would release them and pretend that nothing happened. I was shocked to hear that an innocent person could lose their mind to that fish tank. So much so, I had to help them; my life was on the line."

"After a couple of weeks, they still hadn't made a perfect clone, but that was all about to change. I watched in on them making the clones one day; it was an excruciating sight, but I had to see what happened. I saw them make a girl, she about four or five years old and she had her auburn hair in a small ponytail. She was wearing simple black clothes; I swear no one wore white over there. The Crime Minister smiled evilly and as she looked over to the Mastermind, he spoke the word –

"Yes, yes, she is the one. V.9.5." I was scared and I felt sorry for the girl; she was about to lose her mind for goodness sake! Then I saw something that hit me hard; it was Alexis.

"Excellent. What a brilliant plan Mastermind!" Alexis praised him. I was heartbroken; how could he have done that to me? I'm his sister!

"Yes, yes I know. She is my perfect daughter. Take her to the Grand Master." I heard the Mastermind say. As soon as I heard footsteps, I ran away, quiet but quick. And I soon as I had lost sight of them, I took a moment to process what was happening. That little girl, that innocent little girl, was about to lose her mind. Even though she was made from the Mastermind's DNA, I still wanted to help her, but no matter how hard I tried over those ten years, I couldn't figure out how to help her."

"I had heard from some of the other KORPS agents that she was kept in a secure cell, with just enough food and water to keep her energy up for her training sessions. I gasped mentally because I didn't want to cause suspicion since only the Crime Minister, the Mastermind and I knew about me being a previous M.I.9 agent. So instead, I smirked like the others."

"And for ten years, all I could think about were those clones, especially that one little girl, V.9.5. She was probably a teenager by now. I hoped and prayed that she was going to be okay and that she was still alive."

"Then one day, I had heard that the Crime Minster was arrested and that the Mastermind was dead. I couldn't believe my ears. I couldn't think of anyone that could have done such a thing. I was literally about to faint or cry, or scream, or laugh because I was just so incredibly happy that I could escape their clutches."

"So straight away, I took off, leaving the KORPS base behind. I still had my uniform on, so I tore off the insignias and threw them to the ground. I burst for joy; I escaped from KORPS!"

"I hadn't seen the sunshine for ten years. I hadn't had any fresh air for ten years. It's a miracle I'm still alive really. When I saw that bright, glowing ray of sunshine warm my face, I soaked it all up. It was just… There is not one word that could describe all of my joy and relief because… Oh my gosh, I was super excited!"

"But I had to run. I had to run further away from that horrible area. I ran through the grass, across roads, and under bridges. Every night I would stop and find a comfortable place for me to settle down for the night. You can imagine how cold I was, being many winter British nights. Then in the morning, when the sun struck my face, I would keep running."

"I jolted to a stop when I found the M.I.9 building. I had to ask people from around the area who gave me strange looks, but who could blame them. I had twigs and leaves in my hair, tangling like it was a bird's nest. Some of the uniform was ripped, exposing my bare skin to cold air. Even my black boots are scratched and holes in them – but then again, I was running everywhere and they aren't the best running shoes."

"Taking deep breaths to stop me from hyperventilating, I strode into the building, and the rest is history. But that's when I vowed that I would never lose you guys again."

Stella sighed loudly, "Oh God. Hyper I am so sorry. I swear. I want to hang them all from London Tower Bridge. They're such, for lack of a better word, assholes."

I smiled back, trust Stella to think of something as oddly creative as bridge hanging. "It's okay, it's all in the past now. But hey, I've spilled my guts and now you've got to spill yours. I want to know everything that's happened in the past decade and what job you're actually doing now at M.I.9" I wasn't going to let things slide that easily.


	6. Joy

Stel groaned slightly, "Not much Lots of celebrities did drugs and slept with each other. Frank and I split up four days after the KORPS attack, we attended a series of funerals, yours included obviously. There was ice cream at yours, it was a true sentiment to your life and everything you stand for. The service, not the ice cream obviously, though that too. Frank and I stayed on the same team for nearly another year before I transferred to Edinburgh, working on some solo missions or with their unit there. I stayed there for seven years before coming back to London, receiving the Chief Agent role. Some said it was a privilege, but I wasn't actually given the choice because Stark - as in the Stark we trained with after M.I High - Had made the worst mess of things. It was then I learned that Frank was now mentoring the M.I High unit, and in that moment I kinda forgot about my filters because my heart had burst with pride at his accomplishments and at the thought that we'd be working together again."

She took a deep breath, and I could sense that the next part of the story was hard for her. "Um. So yeah, we were working together with the new team, things happened like I had to put Frank in prison for a few hours due to a framing incident with KORPS. We discovered that his friend Janis, remember him? Anyway, we discovered that we worked for KORPS. Frank ended up having nightmares so following protocol I sent him to a nightmare institution." Stella took in another meaningful breath,

"He called the school base, saying that it was secret KORPS base. He was right, of course. The events of that mission meant Frank nearly lost all of his memories permanently and we almost had nuclear wipeout. Again. Then we broke into a KORPS base, with V.9.5.Z.O.E.6, or Zoe as we called her. She's our friend and she's fine by the way. Back to the point, this reactor was aging people quickly, you probably heard about it at KORPS. We had to shut it down before the entire country died of old age. Then several things happened, Frank and I ended up kissing."

At that piece of information I squealed loudly, they were so cute. Yet they still weren't together, the idiots. She mock glared at me before continuing, "We saved the day but The Crime Minister somehow got a hold of Zoe, they were going to do the mind transfer, but it didn't work. She wasn't a match after all. They escaped, Zoe ended up leaving to find all of her clone sisters. Tom, the tech boy on the current M.I Hgh team, found the real match. A girl named Keri, the redhead you met. You may have seen her at KORPS. She joined the team, we continued with missions, I may have nearly, indirectly gotten her killed. Don't ask. I went undercover at the school for their annual assessment, that was fun. we did some other stuff. Then, um. Then something very bad happened. I was the head of a social club called The League of Mata Hari. We didn't know at the time that we had KORPS agents working on the inside of M.I.9, they ended up setting up everyone in the club, which coincidentally was all Heads of Departments. We were arrested, by Frank's team no less, and I spent a month rotting in a prison cell. They also fired the team a week or so after my arrest"

Stella sighed slightly, "Prison, especially when the guards and Head of M.I.9 are corrupt, is not a very pleasant place. My diet was ridiculous and I would have liked to see them try to live on it. At first, due to my anger at the unfairness of it, I'd been loud - broke the security cameras and punched the guards - but then. Well then they decided torturing me would make me quiet. They were correct. After that I was silent, but given a book to read. 'The Spy Who Loved Me' by Ian Flemming, whilst the idea could have been positive, the choice of novel was obviously a dig at my feelings for Frank, which made me feel worse."

I felt so bad for Stella, she didn't deserve any of that, I'd have to give Frank a talking to, he probably didn't even realise the effects all of this had on Stella.

"Anyway, they finally realised I was innocent, broke me out of my cell and we stopped KORPS from taking over Keri's mind and by extent the world. Don't ask me how, but some way, The Crime Minister had managed to disguise herself and become Deputy Prime Minister. Just proves I'm needed. But everything was all tickety-boo, Frank and I kissed, again. M.I High was reinstated, we did some missions and then you know the rest." She finished, smiling slightly at having finally gotten something off her chest.

"Why do I feel like everything you've just told me is the plotline to some weird, twisted sitcom?" I ask, both of us giggling like little girls.

Suddenly Stella is grabbing my shoulders, "Hyper!" she screeches, "You are staying with me. I don't care what you say, I've got two spare rooms and one of them is now your bedroom. We can be flatmates again!"

At the mere thought, I feel myself overcome with euphoria. It was going to be like our early twenties, we were going to be the best of friends, sharing everything but blood. Instantly I was violently nodding and both of us were wrapped up in the excitement of it all. So much so, that I found myself paint and decoration shopping with Stella an hour later. Despite my resistance, we bought loads of beautiful things for my soon to be bedroom. It was less about choosing things and more about being able to spend time together laughing, joking and sometimes just doing nothing at all. Hours passed like minutes until as if by the work of sorcery we were sitting with a glass of wine, on the sofa at nearly ten o'clock, reminiscing about past adventures.

Far too much had changed, and far too little was in our control. I've learned over time that no matter how much we try to convince ourselves, we are not the artist but the canvas. We do not wield the brush, only feel its effects. No matter what we say, we are never truly the author of our own stories, we hold so much less control than we could ever accept. I now know that I must accept, tolerate and be grateful for the words crafted for me. I must live out my story with the upmost care and determination. I'm glad to say this is a new chapter, a better one. This is healing, justice, and friendship. This is joy.


	7. New Occupations

**AN: It's Christmas month Y'all and I AM READY. But extremely miserable because of braces, so I've decided at 12:42 in the morning to watch The Sound of Music and write some more. This is kind of a filler chapter, so it might be quite a lot shorter. Hope you like it. ;)**

Several days passed, Stella and I painted my new bedroom. Mayhem ensued. I was not the instigator and refuse to take responsibility no matter what she says, for I didn't 'accidentally' splatter her entire back in lilac paint. Nor did I then proceed to giggle loudly and then splatter her face. All of that was Stel, so she got what was coming to her and the paint war was staged. After a few hours of that, once we'd actually finished the proper intended job for the paint as well, we ended up going shopping because something which had escaped my memory was that I needed new clothes, makeup, toiletries and other basic essentials which Stella was all too happy to purchase, she mumbled something about being rather well off and I believe she said the words "Work Credit Card"

We bought lovely and colourful things, clothes and accessories which made me finally feel like I was truly out of my ten years of KORPS and back in the real world. There were lots of things I'd missed in the past decade as far as fashion is relevant, so that was an adventure and I'd say I adapted pretty well though Stella may tell a different story. Lavender is still my favourite scent, so we had no issues with most smelly things. I also found the most beautiful painting for my room, so we got that. Once things like clothes and cleansing things were bought, Stel and I began to just drift around, and look in random shops. One thing I'm very glad we did was enter into a photography and development shop because earlier that day I'd had returned my remaining possessions from M.I.9, which included my old camera, with all the photos still waiting to be processed. To say the images were interesting was an understatement. Both of us felt so transported back into the past and whilst some images were odd, they were all lovely in their own right. Due to being so happy about the pictures I bought a tonne of frames for them, we both had fun picking them until Stella became quieter, almost like she was anxious about something. Abruptly she turned to me, worry evident on her features, "Hyper.." she says slowly, "Frank and I were thinking, now that you're back at M.I.9, you could co-mentor the M.I High division with him. Only if you wanted to of course!"

The very idea made me want to cry with joy, the fact that I'd been accepted at all, let alone so openly, is the most blissful feeling. All thoughts of doing more shopping forgotten as we dashed home, picking up a Chinese on the way, nodding like a fool for the millionth time in the past week, I happily took the job, leading to lots of happy tears and today's predicament: My first day.

I have to give credit to the teens, everything I said before about stolen youth is definitely apparent in them, they were welcoming and kind, showing maturity well beyond their years. When I arrived and went down to the base, I was met by the plethora of faces. Frank nodded to me "As far as names are concerned, you've done that bit, though granted it was throughout a tearful decade reunion and thus I'm going to leave you guys to get to know each other. I've got some caretaker work to do, or else Mrs. King WILL kill me." and with that, he left.

Aneisha, the brown haired girl, turned to me with a grin, "So, Hyperia how are you settling back into life? I hope it's okay, especially with all the M.I.9 drama surrounding KORPS and their downfall."

"It's been fine, lovely actually all things considered. Stel and I have been very productive, also rather silly. But I don't think she'd want me to tell you all that, being your stoic superior." I replied, giggling slightly.

"How long have you, Frank and Stella known each other?" Keri asked and suddenly they all looked very interested, I almost died laughing in that second, because there was so much I could say about the two of them especially in our teenage years and there was absolutely nobody here to stop me. "I've known them since we were thirteen. There are so many stories I can tell about those two." I cackled slightly, they were going to kill me later, but I refuse to be silenced and they deserved some embarrassment.

The two boys looked amused, "So, you know secrets and stories we can use as blackmail for Stella and Frank? Can you tell us some?" I nodded, laughing again.

"What do you want to know first?"I asked.

The girls butted in, "Well. First, can we know what happened when you all met and the weeks after that, when your friendships kinda started?" they asked, looking hopeful and mischevious.

"Sure. It all started on Wednesday the 14th of November 1994, we were all fourteen..."

AN: First Off, I know I haven't updated in like two weeks, but I've just been put on new medication, so I'm having to deal with that and I'm ridiculously busy! It may take up to another week! I hope y'all don't mind!


	8. Custard

**AN: Oh my god, I'm so sorry this is so late. I've been so, so ill and busy over the Christmas period and have only just properly recovered enough to write something competent. I hope it's okay, this chapter is Hyper having** **a flashback, whilst relaying the information to the team. X**

God this school was a mess. I was all excited to work for M.I.9, fighting crime and saving the world, how many other teenagers got that opportunity? But this place. I mean really, come on. It looked as if the government should have shut it down years ago. Nevertheless, I powered forward, finding what looked like the classroom I was supposed to be in.

"Mr Matthews?" I asked timidly, trying to blend.

A greying man with a kind, exhausted face looked up at me, an encouraging smile gracing his face.

"Hyperia Von Hades? It's a pleasure to meet you. We have three other new students starting today, a Miss Knight, Miss Parks And Mr London, all sitting at the back. Why don't you join them, you lot can stick together.."

My response was to nod slightly, making my way to the back of the classroom, yet the irony of his comment was not lost on me. Stick together we will, I'm sure, I thought, laughing silently to myself.

Glancing a look at my new team mates, I smiled. They all looked friendly enough.

"Von Hades. Hyperia Von Hades." I said, sticking out my hand to a raven haired girl.

She laughed, "One. Nice reference. Two, Name's Stella. Pleasure to meet you. This here is Charlene.." she said, gesturing to a blonde, "and Frank. He doesn't talk too much. At least that's what I've gathered so far.." she continues.

Charlene nods her head towards me in recognition, "Hey Hyperia. Nice to meet you."

Frank, however just smiles slightly, barely acknowledging me before continuing to read his book.

Placing my bag down, I take the seat next to Stella, who seemed the most friendly. Diving into my messy black backpack, I pull out a pencil case and notebook covered in Shakespeare quotes. This prompts a squeal from next to me, as Stella passionately said, "Oh my god. I love Shakespeare. Like. So much."

I smiled brightly, "Me too.."

After that, we talked for what seemed like hours, Charlene joining the conversation, with the occasional input from Frank, until the tell-tale flash of our pencils signalled our first mission. We all discreetly rushed from the classroom, to the caretaker's cupboard.

Charlene eagerly pulled the mop, and we whizzed down to HQ, being changed into our sleek black outfits.

Stella and I turned to each other, both instantly saying in sync, "You look amazing!" Before laughing loudly at each other.

Me, Charlene and Stella continued to gossip about our clothing till Frank butted in, "It's supposed to practical, not stylish. Can we get on with actual important stuff now?"

Before I could respond, Stella stuck her tongue out and blew a raspberry at Frank.

"Spoilsport! At least take a photo of the three of us girls! We do look fabulous!" She said seriously, thrusting a camera into his hands.

He sighed reluctantly, "Smile!" came his sarcastic response as he took the photo.

After he'd documented our appearance, there was a loud cough from one desk.

"Well I'm glad you're all having so much fun. But Frank's correct, important stuff now. You have your first mission.." the stern, yet amused voice of our mentor, Agent Jonathan Saunders, filled the base.

We all grinned like fools, "What's happened?" Charlene asked, excited.

"There's been an illegal arms exchange. Something which wouldn't be too unusual if the thing exchanged wasn't the newly perfected disintegrater gun. We need that back immediately. Scientists have no idea how it was even extracted from the field testing centre in the first place." Jonathon says, sounding slightly annoyed at said scientists, "Your mission is to retrieve the weapon before it's used to reek havoc and have detrimental effects. Our lead tells us it should be in this apartment, owned by Alexander Hugo, the primary buyer. You need to get there before he moves it!" He continued, showing an address and route on the screen.

"Frank you stay on comms, Stella and Hyperia I want you in that flat to get the weapon out. Charlene, we need you to neutralise any threats the girls may have when infiltrating the building."

The four of us nodded in understanding, before the three of us rushed into the lift.

Two hours passed, and with less trouble than suspected, Stella and I got the gun, and a few other wanted items, out of the flat and back to the base without any interference. Jonathan was extremely impressed with our efficiency.

"Brilliant Team. I can tell our track record is going to be good.." he smiled, "Now, back to class all of you. You have Maths.."

I groaned loudly. Followed by Stella having the same reaction. "Really? Maths?" We exclaimed.

Frank smiled slightly, "Don't worry girls. It's only another fifteen minutes until lunch. We won't be doing much Maths.."

Stella sighed loudly, as if she'd just stopped an assassination attempt, "Thank the lord!"

We laughed loudly at her reaction, making our way into the lift. As we walked back to class, we were all talking animatedly, finally all comfortable with each other after our first successful mission. I could tell I was going to be friends with all of them for life.

The minutes trickled by like the remaining droplets falling from a tap after the main water flow has stopped. The time was filled with all of us talking quietly, laughing at the ridiculous behaviour of others in the classroom.

Finally the bell sounded, and the four of us rushed to the canteen, getting food before we all sat down at a table together.

Frank sighed, "This is better than my last school's lunches, there it was literal slop. At least this sort of resembles food. Especially the dessert. That's clearly Apple crumble and custard.. I hope.." he says, only half joking, slightly concerned.

Stella nodded, "Yeah. I think so. Doesn't taste too bad either.." she replies, eating at lightening fast speed.

"Do you want to maybe, Oh I don't know, try eating the food instead of inhaling it?" I asked her, amusement evident in my voice.

She snorted loudly, bringing the spoon full of pudding to her mouth slightly too quickly, causing custard to splatter onto both mine and Frank's cheeks.

"Well excuse me!" He exclaimed loudly, smirking, as Charlene began to cackle.

Trying not to lose it, I looked at Stella, which was clearly a mistake, for the second we made eye contact, we both began to laugh so hard our stomachs started to ache, causing Frank to join in too.

Stella looked me dead in the eye as she regained her voice, "Sharing is caring.." she deadpanned.

The continual laughter after that was enough to gain some very, very weird looks from teachers and students alike.

"And that, was the very eventful, and messy, meeting and first day, with Frank and Stella.." I finished, smiling at the team, as they laughed at my story.

"Custard? Seriously?" Keri asked, a grin on her face as I nodded.

"She's weirder than we thought..." Dan said, causing his friends to snicker.

"What about Frank and Stella getting together? When did that happen?" Aneisha asks eagerly, with the inquisitive looks from the others, adding to my amusement.

I sighed, "Well that's a slightly longer story. And a far more complicated one. Where to start?" I asked myself, laughing.


	9. Assignments

**AN: I'm back y'all! Now this might be appalling, most of my writing is as I'm only thirteen. Reviews mean a lot to me, so thanks. I don't know how long this fic is going to be. I'll just go with the flow. This is another flashback chapter, Hyperia is talking about how Frank and Stella got together, this may be a two parter, or even three parter. I hope it's okay, enjoy my lovelies and please send me ideas you have!**

My alarm shrieked and I violently jolted awake, eyes gazing blearily at the electronic digits the clock displayed. No. No. No. I'd overslept. Again. Bolting out of bed, I threw on my school uniform and quickly washed my face, brushed my teeth and doing my hair. Hopping down the stairs as I put my school shoes on, my mum yelling various phrases at me. Back prepacked and by the door, I used the spare seconds to grab a banana before sprinting out of the door and with the grace of a headless bird, clambering onto my bicycle. Feet moving at ridiculous speeds, I raced to the school and slammed my bike into the shed just as Stella arrived with Frank, the two having an animated conversation.

Over the past year and a half of getting to know Frank, Stella and Charlene I had learnt some very key, important facts. Frank wasn't quiet, nor was he shy, but he was very reserved in who he decided to talk to openly, not out of malice or pretension but because he often found himself being ridiculed about his preferred topics of conversation. Charlene defied every possible blonde stereotype known to humanity and had an extreme dislike towards fish. Stella was a code, wrapped in an even more complicated enigma and deposited into a safe. In short, it took me all that time to fully learn some things about her, and Frank was the only one who really had her sussed. What I had gathered though, is that she had a selflessness like no other, to the point where it was dangerous to her own well-being. She could smile, and laugh and joke to make someone feel welcome and safe in environments that scared her out of her steel wits. Stella could be the light at the end of the tunnel, the brightest in the dark, helping any and all out of trouble, for her smile could match the power of a thousand suns, but if you looked closer, she held such underlying sadness, her soul singing a song of pain, and loss, and love run bare. Stella was a poem, a song, a sonnet of everything we hope for and everything we fear, she was wonderful.

As we slowly walked into the crumbling buildings of our school, I contemplated what it means to love. Frank and Charlene would have said that I was being beyond melodramatic, boardering on poetic insanity, yet Stella would understand. Our love of English helped us bond, for we truly did have such an infatuation with words and the stories they could weave. Slumping into chairs not fit to take the weight of a feather let alone heavy-handed teenagers, I turned to my raven haired friend smiling, "How was your weekend? Have fun? I sure didn't. My relatives suck major arse and big get togethers are the worst.."

She snorted loudly, "You know I would have come with, your mum said it was okay, but my Dad was being an idiot and decided we should go on a family camping trip. We arrived at the site, five minutes in him and Mum found that there wasn't any proper toilets, and instantly packed everything back into the car. Sissies."

We giggled to each other, before Stell tapped Frank's shoulder and smiled at him, "Your Weekend?"

His response caused his ears to go red and us to dissolve into giggles, "Mum, my sister and I went shopping, and to a fashion show..."

Charlene's head suddenly whipped around to us, and she looked very confused, "Did I just hear Frank say he went to a fashion show?"

I nodded, a tear of laughter spilling out of my eye.

"You learn something new every day.." She says, chuckling.

Suddenly Mrs Hugo, AKA the stuff of the strongest of people's nightmares, strolled into the classroom and yelled loudly to silence us. Then she smiled calmly at us, causing Stella and I to exchange a look, which in short said 'False sense of security. Suspicious'

Mrs Hugo finally spoke, "So class, as you know, we'll be doing English, obviously as that's my subject. My point is, we're starting a new subject: Love."

Groans erupted from throughout the class, but Miss just put up her hand to silence everyone.

"The subject is vague I know, but that's because we shall be exploring many different aspects and themes. Today will be partner work. With your partner, whom I have designated based on skill and a variety of other factors, you shall have to pretend that the other person is someone that you've been secretly, madly in love with, and this could quite possibly be the last chance you shall ever get to tell them. You must write something, whether it be a letter, poem or simply a speech to the other, it most be as romantic as possible."

Grim was an understatement, everyone apart from Stella and I in the class looked completely and utterly horrified and annoyed by the idea. Mrs Hugo smiled obliviously as she began to read out the partners, suddenly I heard my name as she said "Hyperia and Charlene..."

We smiled happily at each other, till we both realised that the only two people left unpaired were Frank and Stella, our suspicions confirmed when Miss said "Finally, Frank and Stella..

Now you'll have two lessons on this, and some will be read out, so please work hard as I'm counting this as an assessment.."

The final couple didn't hear those last few sentences though, as they were too busy blushing and staring animatedly at their hands.

Both of them jolted when Mrs Hugo loudly said, "Get started!"

Stella smiled shyly at Frank, "Come on then. I'm sure it'll be fine.."

They both began to write and suddenly as Charlene and I gossiped, we saw each of their pages fill with words and words, eating up paper as it's coated in the ink of their intermost thoughts and feelings on a subject of such controversy, such complication.

An hour passed in a flash, and the bell sounded loudly, however we had a double period of English, so most people continued to chat or work. Charlene and I had finished, for we weren't being too detailed, just enough for a good mark. Stella and Frank however hadn't stopped writing since their pen's had first hit paper. Sometimes their speed slowed, or they rewrote parts. By the middle of the second lesson, both of them had their draft, writing it into fine print. A few minutes after the two had finally finished, Mrs Hugo coughed loudly, causing silence.

"Class, you've had an hour and thirty minutes, I'm going to take them in, read a few and decide one or two that we should hear for now, we might hear some next lesson too.. Talk amongst yourselves, if it gets too loud we will have silence though". She says, as she walks around, collecting up quantities of lined paper.

Time passed as the four of us messed about, laughing and joking, till silence was once again called for, Miss had an odd glint in her eyes.

"Some of these, that I've read, are amazing. There is one I'd like the pupil to read out themselves right now though. Frank, could you come up here please?"

Said Boy looked mortified, like he wanted to vomit.

"Sure Miss.." he stuttered, slowly walking up to the front, taking his writing from her grasp, shaking slightly, as he looks around the room. Glancing at Stella, he sighs quietly to himself, beginning to talk,

"Well..."


	10. Stars

**AN: Hey. Sorry for just stopping it. Wanted to be slightly dramatic and almost indefinitely failed, but here's the next chapter, Its a bit short**

Aneisha and Keri looked shocked, "Hyperia why have you stopped talking?"

I snorted loudly, at least I knew they were listening, yet their faces were absolutely priceless. "Keeping you on your toes, I'm brilliant at dramatic effects," came my extremely amused reply. "I'm guessing you want me to continue?"

This time it wasn't the girls' urgency that caused me to laugh, but the boys barely disguised enthusiasm. Smile blossoming across my face, I began to speak again.

Glancing at Stella, Frank sighed and began to speak,

"Well, I-I um.."

Mrs Hugo sighed loudly, "Frank don't stutter, your piece of writing is amazing, deliver it properly please,"

Again Frank took a shuddering breath, before starting again.

"The mind is a complex thing, filled with hundreds of thousands of thoughts every second. Some ideas may take a larger hold on the brain whilst others disappear almost instantaneously. There is one, in the front of my mind, which continues to persist its importance and significance. Having sat on it for over a year, it causes me great stress when it resurfaces, yet it can also cause me blissful elation. Glancing at skies full of shining stars, I see only the light and sparkle in your eyes. In a sea of people, my eyes search always for you. Your smile causes a fire to start in my heart, burning me from the , a sensation I dare not fight as it is so totally consuming. After much contemplation, I have come to the weighing, heavy conclusion that I am in love with you. Love is such a difficult word, with so many positive and negative connotations, so many opinions and experiences to be counted when drawing your own assumptions. Some may look to love for comfort, for security, whilst others may look for a new lease of life in their search for love. However I believe there are far too many preconceived notions about the concept of love. For, at base level, it is just chemicals reacting, causing other chemicals to be released. Due to the complicated ideals of love, it becomes so hard to communicate it. The word becomes overused, and the crippling pressure to experience the stereotyped kind of love destroys the light of such feelings. There is a reason that Churchill said 'You are the master of your unspoken words, but a slave to the words you have spoken' That sentence is the literary embodiment of the pressures of life at paramount points, when anything and everything you have ever said or done, can and will be held against you. Simply, my next sentence is an attempt to express my emotions, and simultaneously distance myself from previous mistakes with its sincerity. I think I have come to love you in numberless lives, numberless times. In life after life, age after age, forever."

Everybody, including myself, were stunned into silence, before Charlene and I began to clap wildly, causing others to follow suit. Frank blushed slightly, and sat back down with the other three of us. It was only in that moment that I noticed Stella's expression, her eyes had glazed slightly, her face dreamy and far away, shock and adoration evident. She did, to be fair, have the right to look like that, for English project or not, one does not simply just write words as captivating as that without some emotion involved.

Frank's eyes keep flicking over to Stella, but before the situation could become awkward and open cans of worms not yet ready to be explored, we all noticed the ends of our pencils flashing.

As stealthily as possible, we snuck out of the classroom and sprinted to the caretaker's storeroom. Pushing the light switch sideways and pressing my thumb to the pad, we entered the cramped room and pulled the mop, whizzing down to HQ.

Jonathan was standing, leaning over the central table, file in hand,

"Team.. I'm glad you're here and with such a brilliant response time. Now this mission, should you choose to accept it, is a big one, full of risk, gadgets and genuine threats to your life if it goes wrong.."

Frank snorted, seeming to have glossed over what had just happened in class, "Cool. Bit sinister. More information please?"

Agent Saunders laughs in return, "If you gave me a second, you'd know. Basically, we've found a major KORPS base, inside is invaluable data on the plans of their organisation, antidote formulas for all their developed toxins, and other facts.. all stored on a CD, in the depths of the base. We need you to go in and extract it. Now it'll be swarming with their agents so, we best be careful.." he took a breath, before continuing,

"Frank, you'll be going out in the field on this one. They'll need your tactical support there, and you'll need to help get them out. Girls, he can fight and well too, I'm not questioning his abilities, but he'll be doing enough already, so you keep him covered and safe okay?"

The three other us nodded vigorously, as we all collected our gadgets and began to walk towards the lift,

"I'll be on comms, good luck agents, and please don't get yourself killed.." Jonathan says seriously, as the lift doors close, the loud ding signalling our ascent.

After a fast journey in an M.I.9 vehicle, we arrived a street away from the supposed bases' whereabouts. Slowly, we surveyed the area, checking for the most safe and secure entrance. Once it was located, Frank stopped the current going through the metal fence blocking the small ventilation shaft we were to enter through, for what would spies do without them? Screws removed, Frank pulled back the vent cover, and smiled softly to us all,

"Away we go.." He mutters, as we crawl through the shaft. Backs and legs aching due to the confinement, when we finally dropped into the room, it was a huge relief, or at least it should have been.

"Oh.." We all exclaimed loudly in unison, our faces of paling.


	11. Rainbow Connection

**AN: It's one o'clock in the morning, I'm extremely exhausted and I'm watching Mamma Mia because insomnia is mean soooo. I decided to write some more. Almost indefinitely appalling, but I am trying. I'm really enjoying writing this. I'd love more feedback. This chapter ran away from me slightly and I just couldn't stop writing. If any of you know what the title of this chapter is from I shall be so proud. Enjoy lovelies!**

The four teenagers half screamed, the sound resonating around the base. Dan, Aneisha and Keri all looked at me incredulously. "You stopped again!" Dan yells, desperation in this voice barely masked. Whilst I would never say it to their faces, I stopped because they are so hilarious. Chuckling loudly, I shook my head as I spoke to them

"I know, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Okay where was I? Oh yes, pale faces,"

Stella and I looked at each other, great lot of use that thermal detector was then if the idiotic thing couldn't even tell us that the end of our helpful ventilation shaft there were at least thirty KORPS agents. Brilliant. Just brilliant. Charlene and I exchanged eye contact, acknowledging a comprehensible plan. We'd take nine each, Stell included, and then if he could handle it, leave the other four or so to Frank. Nodding fractionally, we sprang into action, kicks and punches, ducking and dodging. Surprisingly, or not depending on your perspective, the enemy agents weren't that difficult to disarm and within minutes, they all lay unconscious on the ground.

Stella sighed, our lungs desperately taking in air, "Thanks for the help Jonathan, the ever useful mentor!" she says sarcastically, causing the rest of us to laugh.

In our ears we heard a breath of exasperation, "Yes, dreadfully sorry. Frank will have to fix the thermal detector," Saunders said, sounding slightly angry but very proud.

Frank's eyebrows raised to his hairline as he shrieked, "Me? It's your invention, you fix it!"

This little spat continued for nearly five minutes until I coughed very loudly, "Guys! For Goodness Sake! Have you forgotten where we are? If so, on a mission, in a base full of KORPS agents, trying to retrieve crucial information and you're arguing about pointless inventions. Come on, we've still got most of this fortress to get through, and I do not like easy it was to get here. Something is definitely wrong!" My voice sounded harsher than I intended it to be, but my patience was quickly disappearing.

"Right sorry," Came the boy's reply, whilst the girls just nodded.

"It's just down here and to the left. That's the central control room, where we can disarm the defences, that'll make life a hell of a lot easier." Frank said as we quietly walked down a thin corridor. Stella and Charlene snorted, "KORPS hate décor then. Except of course, cracking concrete and little to no furniture..."

I agreed completely, for such a pompous and looming organisation, they weren't very good at make their bases look intimidating and evil.

Several KORPS agents walked out of a side door, right into our path. They instantly went into fighting stances, but obviously we had been faster. Two punches and a kick later, they lay on the ground.

"Hey, wait a second. This guy has a pass which will get us into the control room without having to hack the security." Charlene said, swiping up said pass as the four of us advanced, finally arriving to our desired destination without facing more hassle.

Frank disabled the fences as quick as lightening, then we all run down the never-ending grey halls, stopping and starting when appropriate or necessary for clear reasons. Brainless thugs. Once we arrived at the store room containing the CD, Frank hacked the locks and the four of crept in. The disk was on clear show, it looked easier, till our techno boy looked closer. "Bollocks!" he said angrily, "It's a pressure sensor, and you can guess what that means. When we take the disk off, we have to replace it with something the exact same weight or else this room will no doubt become a death trap."

"Well that's just great." Stella and I said at the same time.

"Any ideas Jonathan?" Charlene says, sounding worried.

Agent Saunders took a deep breath, "Well girls, and Frank, it looks like you're going to have to leave something. There's a disk like object over there, I think it's a circular casing for something, you could use that?"

"It'll have to do.." I reply, grabbing the object from across the room.

"Stella's the steadiest out of us all, she should do it.." Charlene mumbles.

"Thanks Charl, I'm so glad I can be your scapegoat.." the dark haired girl responds, ripping the casing from my hand.

We all held our breath, she slowly swapped the objects successfully, and we grinned like Cheshire cats. We'd succeeded. That is, until an Earth shattering siren when off, and the all the defence systems were reactivated.

Sprinting as fast as humanly possible, we ran out of the room and back down the cracking corridors, till he suddenly heard Stella scream in barely masked pain.

Turning back, the sight made our blood run cold, the current Crime Minister holding a gun to Stella's head, her other hand tangled and locked in her hair, causing Stella's wincing face. No matter what she said afterwards, she was scared out of her wits, and so were we.

Our eyes constantly flicked from the gun to Stell's head, my pulse off the charts.

. Her eyes shone with unshed tears as she tried to remember all our training.

The Crime Minister's cold, lifeless eyes stared into mine, "I believe that you children have something of mine. I will not hesitate to kill this girl if you do not immediately give me back the disk."

In our ears I heard Saunders say, "Don't you dare give it back London."  
I felt the little remaining air in my lungs vanish, what kind of person was Jonathan? We couldn't let that happen to Stella. Before the rest of us had any idea of what to do next, Frank slowly raised his arms in surrender, disk in hand. Voice trembling terribly, he started to talk.

"Fine. Have the stupid disk. But I want you to slowly let her go and let her walk away from you. Enough so you can grab her if you doubt me, but enough so that she can run when I throw the CD to you."

She sneered, "You seem to care a lot for this girl, why's that? Surely, in the grand scheme of things, she means nothing and is totally expendable. M.I.9 can find another pretty girl to do their brawn work."

Suddenly, Frank's eyes were alight with fury and before he had the chance to filter he found himself shouting, "I'm in love with her. That's why! I'm completely and utterly in love with her, and if you so much as harm a hair on her head I will end you."

Stella's eyes glistened, Charlene's mouth hung open and I used the few split seconds of silence and distraction to charge forward, disarming The Crime Minister and violently pulling Stella away. Exhausted, and worried about the possibility of imminent death, I began to sprint back to safety, the others quickly following. This time, instead of vents and intricate hacking, we just ran out of a side door, which was no longer heavily guarded, all KORPS agents running to the front point of the premises. Breath ragged we continued to run as our legs started to burn. Finally, as if some heavenly light in the darkness, we saw Saunders and Chief Agent Yates waiting by an M.I.9 van. No hesitation or second thoughts needed, we jumped in and they started the engine, speeding off.

It felt as if a weight had been lifted off our shoulders, until we all remembered Frank's confession, Stella turned to him and was going to speak before he cut her off "You obviously don't feel the same way, because I'm well, me. Which is totally okay, just forget I ever said anything, yeah?"

She looked at him like he'd grown two heads, "For our techno whizz, genius boy you really are an idiot sometimes. Of course, I feel the same way, when you were reading your English piece about loving me, I could hardly breathe. I was so full of adoration in that moment, and I don't think anything will ever compare to it. I love you, and your idiotic video games, your gadgets, and obviously your cute ramblings about books or simple anything you're interested in. You are so cute."

Immediately I stopped talking, earning an odd look from the listeners of my story, till a look of recognition crossed their faces as they heard the lift ding loudly.

"Their timing sucks, even if we do have a cool mission. You NEED to finish this later Hyperia!" Keri and Dan say passionately just before the two main characters of my tale stepped out of the lift.

"Team. We've just come to check on you and make sure everything's okay. Also make sure that you're not filling Agent Von Hades' head with nonsense." Frank says, laughing at the teenagers offended faces.

"We were fine. Just talking about English, that's your favourite subject isn't it Stella?" Aneisha says innocently, smirking slightly at the others.

Stella smiled wistfully, eyes flashing with memories, "Yes it is. My teachers always used to say that I had a beautiful way with words. Not too sure how right about that they were though."

Frank and I scoffed, "They were definitely bloody right. They still are, I've seen your recent drabbles as you call them. They're captivating." I say honestly, Frank nodding in agreement.

Stella's phone began to ring, she grimaced and then answered it. "Chief Agent Knight speaking. Yes. Completely understandable sir." she says nodding as she speaks before her eyes suddenly bulge out of her head, "She is where? Oh god I have no idea why, I'll be right there" Stella exclaimed. The most annoying thing in the world is only hearing one side of a conversation.

"Do enlighten me as to the contents of that phone call." I smiled, chuckling at her befuddled face.

"Apparently my grandmother is sitting in my office, eating lemon sherbets and knitting, blasting 50s classics. I have no clue as to how she got into the building, but I have to go and sort her out. I'll see you all later." She says, half laughing as she talks.

Frank snorts loudly, "See you! I definitely wanna witness this!" he says, following her into the lift.

Once sure they were gone, the teens turned back to me. Nodding in understanding, I continued the tale.

"Really? You're not just mocking me are you?" He says, sounding cautious but hopeful. Stella's answer wasn't words. She instead however grabs him and kisses him softly for a few seconds.

Frank smiles the brightest smile, "Lovely. So what does this mean now? Do you want to go out with me?"

She smiles in return, "It would be my pleasure."

As if by some cruel twist of fate, Chief Agent Yates sternly said, "Relationships between agents is strictly forbidden!" whilst his words were harsh, the emotions didn't reach his eyes. Frank and Stella's instant response was to start cry laughing. "Fire us then!" they sang simultaneously.

Chief Agent Yates sighed loudly, "If you promise this won't effect your work ethic then I shall turn a blind eye, but I need your word that this won't change your success rate."

The couple nod rigorously, "We promise!" they say, and the severe sincerity in their voices shocked me slightly. There was tension, they liked each other sure, but not until that moment even with the English writing, did I realise how deep the roots ran. In that moment I learnt something. Physical attractions are common, but a real mental connection is rare. If you find it, hold onto it.


	12. The Tip of The Iceberg

**I know. I've been gone for ages. I know. I'm so, so sorry. I've been busy. But I'd love some more reviews? And This is kinda a filler chapter. -Your Exhausted Writer.**

As much as I'd enjoyed it, story time was over and I could use some space. No matter what I say, I'm still seeing demons everywhere. The dark hides creatures my mind doesn't want to fathom, they taunt and snarl, consuming me when I least expect it. They are grief, anxiety and misfortune. Sighing quietly, I turn to the teens,

"That's how they got together! Now, you've all been down here too long, Mrs King will be suspicious. Back to class, now."

"Our freedom was short lived." Tom groaned as they walked into the lift. A loud ding sounded, signalling their assent. It was in that moment that I wished to be young again, to have the general innocence that comes with being young and free. I wished my youth with an unexplainable ache.

Darkness momentarily swamped my vision, the terror returning, my body feeling stiff. I shook it off and wandered over to some filing cabinets, deciding to organise them for the sake of Stella's sanity, Frank could be so messy and I'm surprised Stella has coped for so long. Document after document passed through my hands, slowly being ordered, till something suddenly caught my eye; Alexis Von Hades, my brother. Opening it as caution and worry fill me, I gaze over the words, taking them in.

Prison in Utland, Shadow Masters, Secret flats. What on Earth was he up to now? Hadn't he already done enough to hurt me and the world?

I couldn't believe him, he was so vile.

Sighing loudly, I continued to read. So, he pretended to kill Agent Summers and then reclaimed his title as the boss of an assassination group before disappearing. They haven't seen him since, or so this file says, but I bet Stella knows more, she always does. I'll have to ask her when I get home, depending on what mood she's in.

Living with Stella again, I've noticed that whilst my presence has brightened her considerably, she's still rather cold at times. Almost like the walls are too strong for even me break down all the time. It makes me quite sad. Pulling out my phone, I decided to text her to check on her just to distract myself from the bombshell of news I'd just read.

Hyperia: Hey Stel? You ok? x

I pocketed my phone and walked around putting several gadgets or 'thingies' as Stella, Aneisha and Keri call them, in their rightful places as I waited for a response. A sudden ding rings out around the base, and I smiled softly. My phone. Stella. At least that's why I thought, but no.

Stark: Hyperia. It's lovely to know you're back, want to have dinner? Xx

Instantly I felt sick, Stark just asked me out on a date. That's not what I needed. Another ding.

Stella: Hey Hypes! I'm okay, way too much paperwork and my grandmother has finally gone. You? Anything Happened? How're the agents treating you? xox

Hyperia: Oh I love your Gma, she cracks me up! The agents are great, we've just been having a general gossip. One bad thing, STARK ASKED ME ON A DATE I MIGHT VOMIT.

No more than ten seconds could have passed before I got a response.

Stella: No. Freaking. Way. Stark as in Horatio Pig-Faced Stark? That's absolutely brilliant. I'm laughing so much right now!

Hyperia: Thanks Stel. Thanks so much for your support, I'm so glad to have you as a best friend.

Stella: Right. Sorry. Tell me you're honoured but you're not looking for something like right now. Anyways, I've got to go sweet pea, meetings that never end. See you at home! xx

Just like that, she was gone. Probably having to deal with a tonne of red tape obsessed idiots, who think they know more than they do. I replied to Stark, letting him down as softly as possible before I decided to call it day. Officially, I started work as an English teacher at St Hearts tomorrow, so it didn't matter what I did today in the base and I was getting a feel for things. Sneaking out of the Laboratory Entrance, I left the school grounds and slowly got into my car. Well, one of Stella's cars which she gifted to me. A beautiful black mini, which was exactly my style and she apparently never used it.

Starting the engine, I drove steadily along the road, as I made my way back to the flat.


End file.
